Author Archive: Bill Stoddard

My name is Bill Stoddard, and I like to repair clocks, document the history of Westclox and their clocks and watches, design web sites, and program in PHP. Professionally, I operate Bill's Clockworks, where I repair American antique clocks and 400 day anniversary clocks; and sell new wall, mantle, chime, cuckoo and other types of clocks, and a few antique clocks.

My other joys include being with my family, bicycle riding, singing in church choir, and vintage hi-fi and LP records.

Here is a pretty Seth Thomas Adamantine mantel clock dated April 1902 on the bottom of the case (and “No. 633”). It has two celluloid half-columns on each side of the case. The Adamantine finish was mahogany color when new, but some of it has faded to orange. See more pictures. Repair job 6558. I […]

Here’s a neat old double dial (perpetual) calendar clock made in the early 1870s. The calendar dial shows the day of the month around the outside, the day of the week in the left opening, and the month in the right opening. It shows the correct number of days in each month, even doing 28 […]

Here is a Gilbert tambour mantel clock with a square dial! This sure gives the clock an unusual appearance. The movement production date is 1925. It has a mahogany case 19 9/16 inches long and 9 15/16 inches tall. The silvered metal dial has printed numerals. It has a standard Gilbert 8 day time and […]

Here’s a Gilbert (Wm. L. Gilbert Clock Co., Winstead, Conn., U.S.A.) that I repaired. The paper face, hands, door glass, etc. are original. You can recognize original Gilbert Maltese hands because they have a wide area where the hand joins the base. It has a nice label on the back. This clock is 22 15/16 […]

Here is a cute little round-top mantel clock made by Seth Thomas and sold under the Plymouth name. Plymouth was a lower-priced clock line made by Seth Thomas. They have Seth Thomas movements. See a ca. 1940 Plymouth Clocks catalog. This clock is 9 11/16 inches tall and 8 7/8 inches wide. It has a […]

Paul Hogroian of Duplication Services at the Library of Congress sent me this 1942 photo that he scanned. It shows Mr. H. Ormand, jeweler in San Leandro, California, and his Westclox, Seth Thomas and Telechron clocks. Some of my favorite vintage clocks are here! Mr. Ormand is holding a Westclox “Tide” windup alarm clock in […]

Introduction The clock company Westclox started in 1885 as United Clock Company, reorganized as Western Clock Company in 1887; became The Western Clock Mfg. Co. in 1888; and in 1912 became the shorter Western Clock Company. Trademark 108232 of 1916 registers the name Westclox (short for Western Clocks) and states “The trade mark has been […]

An intermittent or repeating alarm clock rings and stops periodically instead of ringing steadily. Several American clock companies introduced them in the 1900s. Westclox introduced the “Alternating” alarm clock in 1904, and applied for a patent in 1906. The U.S. Patent Office issued the patent on June 4, 1907. Quoting from it “My invention relates […]

I repaired this Seth Thomas Poise-1 (model SS7-Q) electric alarm clock because of its sentimental value to the owner. I was particularly interested in this clock because I have the earlier version (Poise E 861-000) that my parents received as a wedding gift in 1954. The case is the same, the older version has the […]

Here is an Ansonia figure clock called the “Tasso” that I repaired. It is a large, heavy clock, 20 1/2 inches tall and 25 3/4 inches wide. The finish is “Japanese Bronze” according to the Ansonia catalog, it was also available in silver. The enamel dial has Roman numerals and visible escapement. The escapement is […]

Here’s a neat old German wall clock I repaired recently. It is a bit over four feet tall overall. The two-piece enamel dial has Arabic numerals. The movement has the logo R M S, a flower drawing, and the number 27. The case is unusual in having a wooden panel in the door instead of […]

A man brought this clock to my shop and said “If you don’t buy this clock, I am going to throw it away!” He had owned it for more than 20 years, and was tired of moving it from house to house. I bought it! I love old American weight driven clocks, and this one […]

Here is a Waterbury “Sussex” one day walnut shelf clock with nice original painted dial. The inlaid case is 17 5/8 inches tall without the top trim piece. The minute track of the dial is 4 7/8 inches diameter. The hour hand is original, except for the tip. The minute hand is a replacement. The […]

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Contact Me

My clock shop is at 8 W. Columbia Street, Flora, Indiana, 46929, USA. My shop is typically open weekdays 9 - 4 and Saturday mornings, but not always. It is best to E-Mail Me me to set up an appointment if you are making a special trip to see me.